(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light emitting diode (LED) display panel having a memory cell for each pixel and, more particularly, to a LED display panel for use as a graphic display panel of a personal computer system.
(b) Description of the Related Art
A conventional graphic display panel of a personal computer system is generally provided with an associated VRAM. A graphic controller in the graphic display panel reads image data directly from the VRAM, converts the same to display data in a display format and writes the display data to each pixel element at a high speed, the image data being supplied from a processor of the computer system prior to the read operation by the graphic controller.
The graphic controller iteratively reads the image data from the VRAM to allow the display data in each pixel to coincide with a corresponding one of the latest image data supplied from the processor. This iterative read-out of the image data by the graphic controller reduces the work time of the controller for the graphic operation on the display panel, thereby reducing the speed of the graphics.
In addition, a sufficient standard is not provided for a flat display panel such as a LED display panel or a liquid crystal panel. The design for a graphic controller used for a display panel is generally changed depending on the design for the display panel, and accordingly, the cost of the graphic controller rises, which in turn raises the cost of the graphic display panel.
In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a LED display panel fabricated at a low cost, having a reduced occupied area and capable of operating at a higher speed.
The present invention provides a LED display panel comprising: a pixel array including a plurality of pixel elements arranged in a matrix along a row direction and a column direction, a plurality of word lines each disposed for a corresponding row of the pixel elements, and a bit line each disposed for a corresponding column of the pixel elements, each of the pixel elements having a LED and an associated memory cell,; an address port for receiving an address signal including a row address and a column address; a row address decoder for receiving the row address from the address port to specify one of the word lines; a column address decoder for receiving the column address from the address port to specify one of the bit lines; and a buffer for writing image data through the specified bit line to one of the memory cells corresponding to the specified word line, an output of the memory cell controlling the associated LED.
In accordance with the LED display panel of the present invention, a higher-speed operation, reduction in the occupied area and the fabrication cost can be obtained because a video RAM is not provided separately from the LED display panel and refreshment operation by a video controller of the LED display panel is not needed.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description, referring to the accompanying drawings.